ECOWAS and MODEL call on LURD to stop fighting

The mediator of Liberian peace talks appealed on Monday to rebels fighting their way into the capital Monrovia to cease hostilities immediately so that a peace agreement could be signed and West African peacekeeping troops deployed in the country. General Abdulsalami Abubabakar, who is leading efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to end 14 years of near constant civil war in Liberia, said a negotiated political settlement was the only way to end the conflict. "ECOWAS and the International Community will not tolerate power obtained or maintained through unconstitutional means. I remind the belligerents that dialogue remains the only avenue for ensuring permanent peace in Liberia," the former Nigerian head of state told reporters in the Ghanaian capital Accra. He denounced the current attack on Monrovia by fighters of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), one of two rebel movements fighting President Charles Taylor, as "a flagrant violation of the June 17 ceasefire agreement." The Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), the second rebel fighting Taylor, also urged LURD to halt its assault on Monrovia, which has brought fierce fighting to the heart of the city. But Charles Bennie, a LURD representative at the Liberian peace talks in Accra, said his movement would not stop fighting "until somebody tells [President Charles] Taylor's forces stop shooting at us." "It is difficult to tell our people to stop fighting when Taylor's people continue to attack us," he told IRIN. "We had two options - either to defend ourselves by retreating or by advancing. We chose to advance. In any case, we started the war to topple Taylor, so are mounting pressure on him." The June 17 ceasefire agreement provided for the parties represented at the peace talks in Accra to negotiate the creation of a transitional government, excluding Taylor within 30 days. It also provided for an international peacekeeping force to be sent into Liberia to enforce the truce. Since then, however, LURD has mounted two fresh attacks on Monrovia, Taylor has remained in power, the Accra peace talks have failed to thrash out a blueprint for leading Liberia into a new era of peace and democracy within the timespan alotted, and proposals for dispatching a West African peace-keeping force have remained on the drawing board . Abubakar said an end to the fighting was crucial for the success of the peace talks in Accra, where the Liberian government and rebels were close to signing a comprehensive peace agreement. ECOWAS officials had been hoping a deal could be initialled early this week. MODEL said that although LURD was justified in repelling government attacks against its positions, it should cease all hostilities immediately. "I am not condemning LURD. Taylor provoked them by attacking their positions and they have every right to fight back," MODEL's military commander, General Boi Bleaju Boi, told reporters in Accra. "But now, we are appealing on them to recognise the sentiments of suffering Liberians and stop the fighting now," Boi warned: "The international community has already said it will not recognise any armed force that comes into power by the barrel of the gun. If LURD persists on their advance into Monrovia, then they will have to answer to the international community." Bennie denied suggestions that LURD's military commanders on the ground were ignoring orders from their political bosses. "We are in touch and have told the fighters to stop once Taylor's people stop shooting at them. They had stopped on Saturday and our people stopped. But they resumed shooting at us again, so we also shot back," he said. However, he made clear that LURD would be very happy to see Taylor leave power so that it could simply negotiate the future of Liberia with MODEL and the unarmed opposition groups represented at the Accra peace talks. "Our position is that we should agree with all the other groups on how to resolve the problems of Liberia," Bennie said. Even if we remove Taylor we will remain open to any suggestions." Meanwhile, the commander-designate of the proposed ECOWAS Vanguard Intervention Force, Brigadier General Festus Okonkwo of Nigeria, met ECOWAS officials in Accra to discuss the latest developments in Monrovia. A source close to the ECOWAS Secretariat said he was scheduled to leave for the Senegalese capital, Dakar, later on Monday to attend a meeting of the ECOWAS Security and Defence Council. "By Wednesday, the Dakar meeting should confirm the Force Commander's full complement of Staff Officers. Depending on how volatile the situation is in Monrovia, the 10-member Technical Survey Team should enter Monrovia this week to complete the necessary reconnaissance for the deployment of the force," the source added. ECOWAS has announced plans to send an initial contingent of up to 1,500 peacekeepers to Liberia with the aim of boosting this to a force of about 5,000 men in due course.